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Fossil fuels fall below 50% of US electricity for the first month on record
Record-high solar and wind bring the US to a clean power tipping point.
Topics /
Science & Space
The most popular blog posts about science & space on Hacker News. 422 posts.
92
Why haven't quantum computers factored 21 yet?
Craig Gidney's computer science blog
93
Candle Flame Oscillations as a Clock
Todays candles have been optimized for millenia not to flicker. But it turns out when we bundle three of them together, we can undo all of these optimizations and the resulting triplet will start t…
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CERN scientists find evidence of quantum entanglement in sheep
Update: did you enjoy our April Fool’s day story? While sheep do roam the CERN site and exhibit interesting flocking behaviour, no evidence has been found of their quantum entanglement (yet). However, CERN is participating in the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology . You can see the list of public…
95
NIST was 5 μs off UTC after last week's power cut
If you were 5 microseconds late today, blame it on NIST. Their facility in Boulder Colorado just had its power cut for multiple days. After a backup generator failed, their main ensemble clock lost track of UTC, or Universal Time Coordinated. But even if you used the NTP timing servers they run, they were never off by…
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Most Influential Papers in Computer Science History
This post celebrates influential papers that shaped technology and communication. Their foundational concepts inspire continued innovation, highlighting the importance of understanding our roots fo…
97
One universal antiviral to rule them all?
Taking inspiration from a rare mutation that makes people impervious to viral diseases, a Columbia researcher is developing a therapy that could bestow this superpower on the rest of us.
98
Folks, we have the best π
And some novel ideas for bicycle wheel design.
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FAQ on Microsoft's topological qubit thing
Q1. Did you see Microsoft’s announcement?A. Yes, thanks, you can stop emailing to ask! Microsoft’s Chetan Nayak was even kind enough to give me a personal briefing a few weeks ago. Yest…
100
DolphinGemma: How Google AI is helping decode dolphin communication
Dolphin researchers are using Gemma and Google Pixel phones to try to decipher how dolphins talk to one another.
101
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 was awarded jointly to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi "for the development of metal–organic frameworks"
102
AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer’s and identify a therapeutic candidate
A new study found that a gene recently recognized as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease is actually a cause of it, due to its previously unknown secondary function that triggers a pathway that disrupts how cells in the brain turn genes on and off.
103
Continuous Thought Machines
Introducing Continuous Thought Machines: a new kind of neural network model that unfolds and uses neural dynamics as a powerful representation for thought.
104
CRISPR fungus: Protein-packed, sustainable, and tastes like meat
Researchers have successfully used CRISPR gene editing technology to create a fungi strain that is highly efficient, more nutritious, and significantly more sustainable than its natural counterpart. The fungus Fusarium venenatum already stands out for its meat-like flavor and texture, leading to its approval for food…
105
The shadows lurking in the equations
If you've ever graphed equations, chances are you have only ever graphed equations in what I refer to as "Binary mode" - which draws a line where the equation is EXACTLY equal, and leaves white everywhere else.
106
Using NASA’s SMAP satellite to detect L-band interference
It was launched to measure moisture. Now it’s ghost-trailing jammers across an electronic battlefield.
107
Childhood leukemia: how a deadly cancer became treatable
Before the 1970s, most children affected by leukemia would quickly die from it. Now, most children in rich countries are cured.
108
Excitable cells
A demonstration of how reentry tachyarrhythmias can develop in a system of excitable cells.
109
Project Aardvark: reimagining AI weather prediction
From the Global South to the Arctic, can machine learning-enabled weather prediction better protect communities and economies?
110
Chasing RFI Waves – Part Seven
Here is part seven (the final part) of my non-fiction work about the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank, West Virginia. You can also read parts one, two, three, four, five an…
111
A Lean companion to Analysis I
Almost 20 years ago, I wrote a textbook in real analysis called “Analysis I”. It was intended to complement the many good available analysis textbooks out there by focusing more on foun…
112
WeatherNext 2: Our most advanced weather forecasting model
The new AI model delivers more efficient, more accurate and higher-resolution global weather predictions.
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What Is Entropy?
People say many things about entropy: entropy increases with time, entropy is disorder, entropy increases with energy, entropy determines the arrow of time, etc.. But I have no idea what entropy is, and from what I find, neither do most other people. This is the introduction I wish I had when first told about entropy…
115
University of Texas-led team solves a big problem for fusion energy
AUSTIN, Texas — Abundant, low-cost, clean energy — the envisioned result if scientists and engineers can successfully produce a reliable method of
116
CT scans of 1k lithium-ion batteries show quality risks in inexpensive cells
Lumafield’s Battery Quality Report exposes hidden risks in 18650 cells; 1 in 13 low-cost units have dangerous defects. See how CT helps enforce safety.
117
Efficient method to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
The method is based on a recyclable filtration fluid consisting of a superbase-alcohol compound. One gram of the new compound can absorb 156 milligrams of carbon dioxide.
118
Solar energy is now the cheapest source of power, study
University of Surrey research finds solar is now the lowest cost electricity source in sunniest regions. Discover what this means for the global energy future.
119
Mathematical exploration and discovery at scale
Bogdan Georgiev, Javier Gómez-Serrano, Adam Zsolt Wagner, and I have uploaded to the arXiv our paper “Mathematical exploration and discovery at scale”. This is a longer report on…
120
Solar Orbiter gets world-first views of the Sun's poles
Thanks to its newly tilted orbit around the Sun, the European Space Agency-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft is the first to image the Sun’s poles from outside the ecliptic plane. Solar Orbiter’s unique viewing angle will change our understanding of the Sun’s magnetic field, the solar cycle and the workings of space…